5 Compact Tablets to Buy Instead of the $699 iPad mini

Apple's new iPad mini costs $699, but you don't have to spend that much to get a capable tablet that fits comfortably in your hands.

Xiaomi, Samsung and Lenovo all sell compact tablets at or below that price, and one of them has already been discounted by $200. But the best choice depends on what you want the smaller screen to do, and whether you're willing to leave Apple's ecosystem to get it.

The new iPad mini has an 8.5-inch OLED display, the A20 Pro chip and support for Apple Pencil Pro, and the $699 model comes with 128GB of storage. A 256GB version costs $799. The display is still 60Hz, though, so it doesn't offer the smoother scrolling you get on several Android tablets at half the price.

If that trade-off bothers you, or if $699 is simply more than you want to spend on a second screen, these alternatives are worth a look.

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TechloyLouis Eriakha

/1. Xiaomi Pad Mini — Best all-round alternative

• Price: From about $500 for 8GB/256GB
• Check availability at Xiaomi | View it at Swiftronics

For most people, the Xiaomi Pad Mini is the sensible place to start. At around $500 for 256GB, it's the cheapest high-end option in this guide and saves you nearly $300 compared with the iPad mini's $799 256GB model. It also doesn't feel like a budget device in the hand.

Its 8.8-inch display runs at 165Hz, and the Dimensity 9400+ processor is quick enough for demanding games, split-screen multitasking and everyday use. There's a 7,500mAh battery with 67W charging, plus two USB-C ports, one of which supports video output, so you can connect it to a monitor.

The compromise is the panel. Xiaomi uses an LCD rather than an OLED, so blacks aren't as deep as on the iPad mini. The bigger issue is availability: the tablet launched in Asia and the Middle East, so buyers in Europe, the US and much of Africa will have to import one.

/2. Huawei MatePad Mini — Best for portability

• Price: From around $671, depending on market
• View it at Huawei | View it at Bludiode

This is the only tablet here that changes how you carry it. At 5.1mm thick and 255g, the MatePad Mini fits in a jacket pocket, and it's built around an 8.8-inch flexible OLED running at 120Hz and 2.5K resolution.

That makes it the closest thing to an iPad mini replacement on paper: a compact OLED screen with a premium finish, plus a PaperMatte edition that cuts glare for reading and stylus work. There's a 6,400mAh battery with 66W charging.

The catch is software. The MatePad Mini runs HarmonyOS on a Kirin 9010 chip (or Kirin 9010B variant depending on the specific regional model) and has no Google Play services, so apps like Gmail, Drive and most Play Store titles aren't available without workarounds. If your tablet is mainly a reading and note-taking device, that may not matter. If it's your main app machine, it probably does.